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History

During the Second Punic War, Syracuse was allied with Hannibal, but was taken by the Roman commander Marcellus in 212, and was absorbed into the already existing province. It was divided into two quaestorships, Syracuse and Lilybaeum. The Latinizing of the island continued, though the Greek element never entirely disappeared.[2]

It was very important during the republican period for its role in supplying grain to the city of Rome,[2] however it started to lose importance with the conquest of Africa and especially with the annexation of the Ptolemaic kingdom. Nevertheless, the province was to regain its importance centuries later, when Rome lost control over these areas and was forced to turn back to Sicily for her needs.

The land fell into the hands of a few great landholders, who cultivated the rich soil by the labour of immense bands of slaves. These slaves rebelled in 135 in the First Servile War, proclaiming Eunus, one of their number, king. Eunus defeated the Roman army several times, but in 133 he was vanquished by Rufilius near Messina; the war ended with the capture of Tauromenium and Enna (132), and about 20,000 of the unfortunate slaves were crucified. The Second Servile War occurred between 103 and 100 under "King Trypho" and the leadership of Athenio.[2]

Sicilia remained a province of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for six centuries. It was Important for its grainfields, which were a mainstay of the food supply for the city of Rome. The empire did not make much effort to Romanize the region, which remained largely Greek.[citation needed] A notable event affecting Sicilia in the Late Republic was the notorious misgovernment of Verres, as prosecuted by Cicero in 70 BC in his speech In Verrem.